Curriculum

Our approach to teaching and learning:

"Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you'll ever have is your mind and what you put into it."

Brian Tracy

What OFSTED said:

'The school has an ambitious curriculum in place. Leaders have identified and mapped out what pupils need to learn. This starts in the early years and builds over time. Staff development is valued. This ensures that staff have secure subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum. The school has focused on its aim of ‘inclusion for all’ and has developed staff expertise to meet all pupils’ needs. Pupils with SEND are fully included in lessons.'

'The provision for pupils’ personal development is a real strength. The school’s motto of ‘live it to learn it’ is evident through the deep consideration that has gone into planning and organising a wide range of trips, experiences and opportunities for pupils that enrich their learning. For example, pupils visit art galleries and places of worship. Pupils have lots of opportunities to take part in sporting competitions and events. Local community events include visiting the local care home and being part of a music video for a local music artist.'

At Downsview, our aim is to provide a caring, engaging and inspiring place to learn, where children feel empowered, safe and nurtured. We want our children to become resilient learners, with a growth mindset, willing to try new things, learn from their mistakes and reflect on their learning. We encourage our children to grow into independent and confident young people, well-prepared for the next stage in their education. We aim to equip the future generation with the skills, knowledge and learning power they need to succeed as educated citizens in modern-day society. Developing the children's sense of sound judgement and strong core values will enable them to thrive.

Our curriculum is evolving and designed to allow our children to prosper in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.  Whilst studying the curriculum, we want to build the learning powers of ambitious capable learners.

One of our approaches is 'Building Learning Powers' (BLP). In BLP, there are 4 overarching learning-power dispositions which are:

Resilience: The emotional aspects of learning.

Resourcefulness: The cognitive aspects of learning

Reflectiveness: The strategic aspects of learning

Reciprocity: The social aspects of learning

These dispositions will inspire the children to:

• Set themselves high standards and expectations
• Learn from mistakes and when faced with challenges, have the growth mindset of 'I don’t know it, yet'
• Develop a body of knowledge and skills to make links and apply it in different contexts
• Be curious and able to ask relevant questions
• Enjoy the challenge of solving problems and using logical and rational skills to build critical thinking
• Communicate effectively by explaining succinctly the ideas and concepts they are learning about and listening to other’s viewpoints 
• Use imagination and intuition to explore possibilities and look at things differently
• Be ready to continue to learn throughout their lives

Our agile teaching approach enables our children to reclaim responsibility for their own learning. When children own their own learning, they develop deeper knowledge and higher order thinking. Collaborative learning opportunities are encouraged to promote engagement in education, enrich relationships and instil the values of sharing and cooperation.

One of the central aims of the curriculum is to ensure that our children are both 'interesting and interested'. We want them to be 'interesting' to talk to because they know a great deal about the world and are 'interested' in finding out more.  We want the children to deepen their understanding of the world and build up their knowledge over time, as we understand that knowledge is 'sticky'. In other words, the more children know the easier it is for them to know more. Therefore, we have designed our curriculum with knowledge at its heart.  We make use of knowledge organisers (KO) to ensure children know precisely which information is expected to be learnt over the course of their study in a particular subject.  

Our bespoke 'Knowledge Organisers' include:

• Essential facts about the topic
• Key vocabulary, technical terms and their meanings
• Images such as maps and diagrams.

We intend every child to leave us well prepared with a broad skill set, and interest in the world around them. In addition, we will provide a range of lifelong learning experiences that will inspire them throughout their future education and beyond, contributing positively to our community.

If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach please contact the school directly at email: teachingandlearning@downsview.croydon.sch.uk